Experimental analysis of catalytic compositions in a microreactor for hydrogen production from ethanol steam reforming

• Grant number: 22/02016-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: June 01, 2022
• End date: May 31, 2023
• Field of knowledge: Engineering - Chemical Engineering - Industrial Operations and Equipment for Chemical Engineering
• Principal Investigator: Rubens Maciel Filho
• Grantee: Vitória Catapani Poletti
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Engenharia Química (FEQ). Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Campinas , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 15/20630-4 - Biorefinery development integrated to a bioethanol sugar cane plant with zero CO2 emission: routes to convert renewable resources to bio-products and bio-electricity, AP.TEM

Abstract

Hydrogen is considered an energy vector of very high potential for the scale of the sustainable environmental energy scale, being one of the great research projects for use in the coming years. Among the projected carbon forms, the steam reforming of ethanol is shown to be one of the most environmentally correct forms, as it uses a renewable resource in Brazil, able to reduce much CO2 by the projected use of ethanol and its processing from biomass growth. From that, this project aims to experimentally study the performance of different catalytic agents in the conversion of ethanol to hydrogen, analyzing the factors: lifetime, yield, and catalytic stability. The objective is to investigate the catalytic compositions most appropriate to the reform process and achieve the maximum possible efficiency in the conversion of hydrogen production, for this energy vector to be efficient compared to fuels already widely used in the market. During this project, nickel catalysts supported with cerium oxide and others will be studied in the face of possibilities. The steam reform of ethanol will be carried out by the use of a catalytic microreactor in an existing bench unit.(AU)